St. Michaels is a picturesque harbor on Maryland's Eastern Shore and was named as one of the Top 10 Best Small Coastal Towns in America by USA Today. Its harbor and some homes date back to the mid-1600's, and is home to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum where you can immerse yourself in our maritime history.Come and experience the beauty of St. Michaels and all this charming town has to offer! www.stmichaelsmd.org

The desire to own my own restaurant began when I became a
chef in the Army. From there I went on to restaurant school in Philadelphia, PA
where I am born and raised. After graduation, I relocated to the Eastern Shore
of Maryland and began my career as a chef and general manager of a few
establishments. When the opportunity came available to own my own restaurant I took
a crazy chance and 22 years later I can proudly say my dream came true.

What do you sell/make/do?

We're a crab
& steak restaurant. The St. Michaels Crab and Steak House provides a full menu including entrees, sandwiches,
salads, appetizers, raw and steam bar, desserts, etc. We have a full bar with
many great drinks including our House Infused Bloody Mary.

Within the restaurant there are 4 dining areas that can seat
approximately 300 people. Two of the dining areas are outside and two are
inside. Additionally, we have an inside and outside bar, a favorite of locals.

Over the many years as owner, I have held rehearsal dinners,
crab feasts, birthday parties, etc.

The restaurant is seasonal, so we generally open in April and
close after the weekend of Christmas in St. Michaels, normally the second weekend in
December.

Social media has done wonders for business. We have a great
website and Facebook page that are updated almost daily with pictures of fun with customers and friends and photos of our good food and specialty drinks! Many businesses and hotels in town have copies of our
menu. I can not forget our wonderful regulars! They put the word out around town
and other areas about us.

What is your strategy for growth in the next year?

Continue to provide great meals and experiences to all
customers that walk through our doors. Additionally, keep up with social media
and changing times in the area of marketing online.

What is the best thing about running a business here?

All the great people I have come in contact with, and friends
that I have made. It’s a great feeling to know that I have satisfied so many
people from many different areas across the United States and other countries.

How and why you started your business?
We purchased Calico Gallery in 2001 after Brad retired from Lucent Technologies. At that time, Calico was a large gallery of framed Chesapeake oriented art downstairs and a great toy store upstairs. It was also the highest quality Custom Framing shop in Talbot County. It was also our favorite business to visit when we were tourists.

So, we didn't actually start Calico Gallery, we just wanted to improve on one of the oldest retail traditions in St. Michaels. After doubling sales after the first six years, we were hit by the recession. The “Framed Art” part of the business took a huge dive – folks stopped buying expensive pieces off the wall. So, instead of shutting down, we re-engineered the business to primarily all toys and children’s books.

Fun and Educational toys, books and games, too!

Though we do not advertise Custom Framing, we have kept almost all of our high level customers and actually added many through referrals.

The Framing Shop

What do you sell/make/do?Calico Toys and Games offers fun, educational and retro toys, games and puzzles for Infant to 99!
We specialize in children's books, framed art and Celebrate St. Michaels posters from the St Michaels Art League. Brad makes all of the custom framed art.

The Fun Place in St. Michaels!

Where is your business located and why did you choose your location?
We're located at 212 S. Talbot Street, a brightly painted two story building, colored in fun primary colors, blue, red and yellow, in the center of the shopping district. Look for our many toy displays out front!

What strategy do you use to draw people to your establishment?

We're always using local advertising, discount coupons and programs, throughout the year. We also consider offering the best selection and customer experience possible for repeat customers and to help with word of mouth advertising.

What is your strategy for growth in the next year?

Keep providing the largest selection of the best Toys, Games, Puzzles and children’s books under one roof on the Eastern Shore. Push shopping local via coupon mailers, and local discounts.

Games Galore!

What is the best thing about running a business here?

It is a beautiful place where people love to visit, so for the most part your customers are happy and excited to be here. It is especially nice when your business becomes a part of the customer’s tradition.